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The Environmental Effects of New Mobility Services

The proposed white paper will summarize the expected environmental effects of new mobility services, and critically evaluate the empirical and modeling evidence that test these effects. The review will focus on carsharing and on-demand ride services. Carsharing services will encompass roundtrip, one-way, and peer-to-peer services. On-demand services will include e-hail taxi (e.g., Uber and Lyft), shared taxi (e.g., UberPool and Lyft Line), peer-to-peer ridesharing (e.g., Carma), and microtransit (e.g., Bridj). The review will focus on these services because they have complicated, both positive and negative, effects on the environment. These services are also likely to be early adopters of automated vehicle technologies. This review will help untangle the magnitude and balance of these complex effects and provide a structured lens through which to evaluate current and emerging evidence.